Airline CEOs Challenge Each Other For Bragging Rights

NEW YORK and INDIANAPOLIS, Jan. 22 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- When the Indianapolis Colts and New York Jets square off at Lucas Oil Stadium this Sunday, there will be more on the line than a trip to the big game. The CEOs of JetBlue Airways, Dave Barger, and AirTran Airways, Bob Fornaro, will be pulling for their respective teams with more than the usual rooting interest.

(Photo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20100122/NY42379 )

As the official airlines of the Colts (AirTran) and the Jets (JetBlue), the two leaders have bet a fully catered lunch from famous local eateries on the outcome of the game.

Should the Jets win, Fornaro will provide a steak lunch from world-famous Indianapolis steakhouse, St. Elmo's. If the Colts win, Barger will provide a mouth-watering pit barbecue lunch from New York's Blue Smoke restaurant.

"With the Colts being such a great team and the game being at home, it's only fair that I put up a steak against a pulled pork platter," joked AirTran Airways CEO Bob Fornaro. "Seriously, does anyone think the Jets can really stop Peyton Manning and the rest of the team on the fastest turf in the league?"

When asked about his team's chances, JetBlue Airways CEO Dave Barger responded, "I like my steak medium rare and make sure there are plenty of fries to go with it."

The two CEOs share more in common than an interest in professional football. JetBlue Airways and AirTran Airways are also the only two major airlines in the U.S. that have posted a profit for the first three quarters of 2009. And while all JetBlue Airways planes have blue as a main color in the paint scheme, only one AirTran Airways plane does, Colts 1, the specially-painted, one-of-a-kind Colts themed aircraft.

AirTran Airways, a subsidiary of AirTran Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: AAI) and a Fortune 1000 company, has been ranked the number one low cost carrier in the Airline Quality Rating study for the past two years.  AirTran is the only major airline with Wi-Fi on every flight and offers coast-to-coast service on North America's newest all-Boeing fleet. Its low-cost, high-quality product also includes assigned seating, Business Class and complimentary XM Satellite Radio on every flight. To book a flight, visit www.airtran.com.

New York-based JetBlue Airways has created a new airline category based on value, service and style. In 2009, the carrier ranked "Highest in Customer Satisfaction Among Low-Cost Carriers in North America" by J.D. Power and Associates, a customer satisfaction recognition received for the fifth year in a row. Known for its award-winning service and free TV as much as its low fares, JetBlue is now pleased to offer customers Lots of Legroom and super-spacious Even More Legroom seats. JetBlue introduced complimentary in-flight e-mail and instant messaging services on aircraft "BetaBlue," a first among U.S. domestic airlines. JetBlue is also America's first and only airline to offer its own Customer Bill of Rights, with meaningful and specific compensation for customers inconvenienced by service disruptions within JetBlue's control. Visit www.jetblue.com/promise for details. JetBlue serves 60 cities with 650 daily flights. With JetBlue, all seats are assigned, all travel is ticketless, all fares are one-way, and an overnight stay is never required. For information or reservations call 1-800-JET-BLUE (1-800-538-2583), TTY/TDD 1-800-336-5530 or visit www.jetblue.com.

SOURCE AirTran Airways

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